11/02/2024
Topic:
Cleaning up the program categories
scentse
|
Gianluca wrote:
Yes, sure...
...But after a while the situation will normalize.
Phew. Sounds good.
I'd started a spreadsheet with the current categories in one column with the proposed new category name in another column.
Before continuing the process, I wanted to ensure this was an adequate manner to conduct the process.
I anticipate it will take approx week. to complete. |
11/02/2024
Topic:
Who (the hell) are the SyMenu users?
scentse
|
Gianluca wrote:
2002!...
...What I think is the problem is not my approach to openness, it's about the requirements I ask to the collaborators that are probably too pretentious...
...And I ask all of this for free, because the project is entirely freeware. And probably this is its worst weakness or, at least, the real reason I can't expand it as I would because of the lack of resources...
...The problem on the editing side it's not about the place where the SPS are published but the persons that collaborate to publish them.
The editors are strongly committed, really expert on it, but very few. And GitHub is not a collaborators multiplicator.
Wow, incredible commitment.
You clearly understand it's a complex issue.
I hadn't realized .sps was open.
Sort of nullifies my thoughts that you were wanting to perhaps license or sell the format.
Surely everyone recalls Steve Balmer's DEVELOPERS^3 moment.
MAINTAINERS^3 applies just as well here.
Point being, even a company like Microsoft - with massive financials - still requires 3rd parties to invest in their platform.
Sort of insane that this project has been around since 2002, and yet chocolately had achieved more momentum in the space despite lacking a GUI.
There was a massive media blitz surrounding chocolatey when it released, the niche being its similarity to linux package management. Same goes for winget.
But I think most Windows user prefer to stay in the GUI, so its sort of lost on the majority.
While cloud synchronization between devices was a non-factor in 2002, much is different now.
As previously mentioned, I think the big niche for SyMenu is its ability to sync across devices, regardless of cloud provider.
I would try to lean into that branding & association as much as possible.
As you're well aware, developers of their own software actually build, and maintain their releases for the chocolatey platform.
I'm unaware how to go about incentivizing devs to actually build and maintain their releases on SyMenu, short of straight up paying them.
Same goes for press coverage.
But like chocolatey, once a big projects signs on, or articles are mass disseminated, more projects seem to follow suit. |
14/02/2024
Topic:
Who (the hell) are the SyMenu users?
scentse
|
Gianluca wrote:
...Try to read this posts and if you like let me know what do you think...
Let me preface my commentary by stating,
"I'm not a lawyer and this is not legal advice."
(It's actually illegal in the US to do so)
PA POSTS
It seems the guy over at PortableApps is upset about how a maintainer has forked their product.
In the US, federal law applies to all 50 states.
There is a federal law known as Section 230.
Basically, it states that a service is not liable for the posts of its users.
But if a valid take-down request is made, the service must take down the post.
If there are some programs (posts) by a maintainer (forum user) which are in violation, the onus would be on the developer to request a take-down.
If the entry is made again, the developer would have to request a separate take-down for that "post".
Think P2P sites.
Next issue to unpack here is the whether forking the PA product actually violates their licensing agreement.
I'm unfamiliar with the licensing provisions in OSS, but forks in OSS are common.
There's also some nonsense about "repackaging".
But if the package is forked, it's a different product altogether. That's not "repackaging".
It seems like the admin's gripe mainly surrounds the removal of their splash screen.
Unsure if doing this violates anything.
If it does, then it might make sense to leave their splash screen.
Particularly if it will fix the "corruption" dialog.
Even if you were to charge a fee for accessing the SyMenu database; you'd be charging for that service, rather than the programs themselves.
VISIBILITY POST
Yes, adding SyMenu into a Wikipedia page could potentially help somewhat, however not in a massive way.
How to successfully launch a PR blitz is truthfully beyond my expertise.
Generally, I've noticed that when the big tech firms want additional visibility for products, they rebrand.
Same for B&M stores with "Grand (re-)Openings".
But it always requires the coinciding exposure provided by media (articles & "influencers").
Hiring a PR firm costs money.
I won't even venture a guess, but it's expensive.
Furthermore, that guarantees nothing AFA traction is concerned.
The term SyMenu conveys is that it's some sort a menu utility.
When in reality, it is a much more robust offering than a simple menu (format, maintained repository, automatic updates, cloud sync between devices,etc.)
Finding SyMenu's identifiable caterings would help with branding efforts.
Furthermore, the website ugmfree has zero relation to the program name SyMenu.
The .it domain is also unfamiliar to many web users.
This may be a major point of confusion
Google Search will always prioritize the main (.com, .net) domains for web searches in English.
This may be de-prioritizing SyMenu in search results.
Truthfully, there's no simple answer that guarantees the desired outcome.
Companies go out of business paying for advertising that doesn't translate into sales.
...
edited by scentse on 14/02/2024 |
15/02/2024
Topic:
Cleaning up the program categories
scentse
|
Gianluca wrote:
A spreadsheet is a perfect way to manage the categories and I like old/new columns.
Then I can replace the new category in SPS Builder.
All 255 old categories are recorded.
Updating the nomenclature is bit more difficult without super categories.
The suggestion by @sl23 of using single word categories is a noble pursuit to keep things clean.
Implementing a super category could potentially be beneficial in that respect.
Even if they are not used, I'll include add an additional column for super categories.
edited by scentse on 15/02/2024 |
16/02/2024
Topic:
Cleaning up the program categories
scentse
|
Gianluca wrote:
I'm a bit confused here.
The present situation is something like this...
The screenshot must be from the SPS Builder.
The drop down menu looks rather clean.
But in the main program, those are just cutoff fields unless the category column is stretched wide.
As for your points 1,2,3
That's not confusing at all.
It's what's being implemented.
A lot of merging categories with under five programs.
Many categories can be batch processed.
But certain categories contain unrelated programs that must be regrouped one by one.
These categories are marked with an *.
The super category is in most instances the wording before the hyphen.
This is listed in a separate third column.
Perhaps redundant, but there nonetheless.
@sl23's suggestion of using just one word for categories is a bit unrealistic.
But it is potentially workable for super-categories.
It requires lots of back and forth to analyze what structure works.
Please remember these are just proposed.
Screenshot so far...
 |
17/02/2024
Topic:
Cleaning up the program categories
scentse
|
sl23 wrote:
Hope you don't mind the gentle criticism, just trying to help. 
Thanks for your ideas, they're most certainly helpful.
Some I'd already considered, others I'll implement going forward.
Bear in mind, this process is far from complete.
I sent the early screenshot so @Gianluca would have an idea of the spreadsheet's format.
Worth acknowledging, everyone maintains a different organization & structure.
Nonetheless, I'm certain everyone agrees that 255 categories is too many. |
30/03/2024
Topic:
Cleaning up the program categories
scentse
|
Apologies for my long absence.
I have been entrenched with an overwhelming legal issue which has required my complete attention.
My time is still quite limited.
Unaware how much time - if any - I'll have during the next few months.
I'll simply upload the spreadsheet so far.
https://1drv.ms/x/s!AkZMMNsar4-lqaFHp2Mp_Cs3AXb-SA
|